Cap and sealed package



'20 of the contents.

Patemed Oct. 4, 1938 PATENT OFFICE GAP AND SEALED PACKAGE John C. Gibbs, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Anchor Cap & Closure Corporation, Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 24, 1932, Serial No. 619,029

claims.

The present invention relates' to the sealing art and more particularly to a cap and package .and a method of forming a hermetic seal.

A popular type seal in commercial use at the 5 present time utilizes a closure cap with a bead in the skirt thereof. In sealing the cap to the container the bead is pressed laterally inward toward the container to force the gasket against the container to form a hermetic seal therewith.

-One of the difiiculties with such a package is the removal of the closure cap. Removing tools do not readily engage the cap and if'they do .engage it, they distort the cap to such an extent that it cannot be used forrresealing purposes. Packages of preserves, jellies and the like are sold in large quantities exclusively to housewives. It, is important that such packages be easily'opened and it is also important that the closure cap .be

adapted for use as a reseal during consumption While closures which seal on the side wall of containers, as distinguished from the rim thereof, are superior from a sealing standpoint, attempts to render' such closures readily removable have not been successful. For this reason, various types of inferior'seals are used at the present time to obtain the readily` removable feature, together with adaptability for' reseal.

'I'he present invention aims to overcome the I above objections by providing a closure adapted to form a side seal which will be readily removable with`out distorting the cap thereby permittin'g it to be used' for reseal purposes. The invention further contemplates achieving these objects without a material increase in the cost of the cap and to improve the appearance of the sealed package.

An objectof the present invention is to provide a secure seal which may be easilyremoved without distortion of the cap iso that the cap can be subsequently used for resealing the contents during consumption thereof.

Another object' of the invention is to provide a secure seal in which the gasket is secured to the skirt of the cap during the sealing operation to prevent dislodgment thereof in the removal of thecap, thereby to facilitate its use'J for resealing purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide Sh a swled package in which the sealis made on the an improved method of sealing a closure cap to a container.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrated embodiment about to be described or will 5 be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has 10 been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a sectional view of the blank used in the manufacture of the closure cap. 15

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the blank in Fig. 1, reformed into a preferred embodiment of a closure cap with a gasket .therein.

Fig. .3 is a sectional view of the cap in Fig. 2 on a container, with a preferred embodiment of 20 sealing chuck, about to effect the seal.

Fig. 4 shows the parts of Fig. 3 after the seal has been eifected.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view illustrating the closure cap sealed to a con- 25 tainer. I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the closure cap sealed to a container having a pry-oif shoulder thereon.

Referring again to the drawing, there is shown 30 in Fig. 2 a closure cap I having a cover portion i 2 and a depending skirt 4. A bead 5 is formed Preferably the lower edge of the cap is rolled 40 v downwardly and upwardly, as shown at 9, to strengthen the cap and to conceal the raw edge of the metal, thereby to prevent rust.

While various methods may be utilized for manufacturinga closure cap as described above, it is preferred to'form a blank as shown in Fig. 1, which can be formed' by a single stamping operation. The blank shown does not close the lower side of the bead 5 and, therefore, has no support' for a gasket. In forming afisupport for a gasket, a 'groove 'l is rolled into skirt of the cap directly above the outwardly extending fiange 8, as shown in Fig. 2. Subsequently, or simultaneously, the free edge of the fiange is rolled downwardly and inwardly to form a Wire edge'l. In the closure cap as thus formed, the wire edge 9 is greater in diameter than the outer Wall 5 of the bead of the closure. By rolling the Wire edge 9 inwardly, the inside of the cap is concealed from view. One advantage of this is to permit the use of one type of lacquer on the inside of the cap and another 'type of lacquer on the outsideof the cap, without the contrast of colors showing. By employing the method of manufacture described above, it is possible to roll the Wire edge inwardly without any noticeable manufacturing defects.

In sealing the closure cap to a container I, preferably of glass, a chuck such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be utilized. The chuck comprises an upper anvil l2 shaped to conform to the cover portion of the cap and sealing jaws M adapted to engage the bottom of the cap and raise it upwardly to force the gasket against the side wall of the container, as shown in Fig. 4. It will be understood that any relative movement between the members |2 and M may be utilized for effecting the seal. When the sealing members are brought together as described, the bottom of the skirt of the cap is raised upwardly thereby collapsing the groove 'l and causing the fold of metal to extend upwardly into the gasket 6, as shown in Fig. 5, which compresses the gasket firmly against the side wall of the container. The lower edge 8 of the cap is fiared downwardly and outwardly to provide a wide surface for engagement with a cap removing tool. When a tool such as a hooked bottle Opener is applied to the closure, the upward pressure on the Wire edge is suflicient to pull outwardly the lower edge of the cap and release it from the container. The Wire edge at the bottom of the cap also reinforces the cap so that distortion thereof is minimized. The upward movement of the lower side of the bead clamps the gasket rigidly in the cover portion, thereby retaining the gasket in the cap after the cap is removed from the container. .In addition, the double fold of metal reinforced by the Wire edge reinforces the bead of the cap on the lower side thereof which would otherwise be the Weakest part of the seal.

A slightly different type of container is shown in Fig. 6 where the container is provided with av shoulder I 5 extending about the container and spaced below the bottom of the closure cap so that a removing tool may be inserted between the shoulder and the cap to pry the cap from the container. This may be done by means of a coin or any other fiat object. 'I'he space between the shoulder |5 at the bottom of the cap issuflicient to permit access of the jaws M. If desired, the anvil |2 may be moved downwardly to effect the sealing operation, with the lower jaws stationary to decrease the clearance required, between the bottom of the closure and the shoulder |5 on the container.

In sealing the closure to the container the closure is placed on the container Where it will rest loosely. Thereafter the container and closure are placed in a sealing machine so that the anvil |2 engages the cover portion of the cap and the sealing jaws |4 the bottom thereof. Upon relative movement of the anvil 'and jaws the lower side of the cap is raised upwardly thereby compressing the gasket and forcing it inwardly by pressure applied to the` bottom 'thereof and clamping the gasket in the cap. The outwardly extending lower edge of the cap provides an accessible portion which may be readily engaged by a cap removingV tool to raise the closure from the container. The fiared wire edge 9 prevents distortion of the cap and holds it substantially in its natural shape.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a closure cap adapted to form a very effective hermetic seal on the side wall of a container. The bottom of the cap is particularly adapted for engagement by a removing tool to facilitate the removal of the cap. The gasket is clamped in the skirt of the cap thereby preventing dislodgment thereof when the cap is removed from the container and permitting it to be used for resealing. If desired, the upper end of the container may be tapered slightly inwardly to facilitate the cap being forced on the container to provide a reseal (Fig. 5). -The shape of the cap. particularly the fold of metal forming the lower side of the bead, not only increases the security of the seal but also facilitates the removal of the cap.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of the preferred embodiment described above without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting Sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sealed package comprising the combination of a container, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a bead in the skirt of the cap, a gasket in said bead, the bottom of said bead being formed by an inwardly extending fold of material adapted to support the gasket, said fold being forced upwardly to compress the gasket, said fold being spaced 'from and out of contact with said container, the lower portion of said skirt being below and adjacent said fold and extending outwardly beyond the outer part of the bead of the cap to provide a lever portion for releasing sealing pressure of said fold upon the gasket to facilitate removing the cap.

2. A sealed package comprising the combination of a container, a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt,4 a gasket in the skirt of said cap, a portion of said skirt extending` radially inwardly to support the gasket, and being spaced from and out of contact with the side wall of said container, said gasket being compressed by said inwardly extending portion, and a portion 'of saidlskirt adjacent said inwardly extending portion and at the bottom of said skirt extending downwardly and outwardly from said inwardly extending portion 'to move said inwardly extending portion and release compression of the gasket when said downwardly and outwardly extending portion is moved outwardly and upwardly with 'respect to the cover portion of the cap.

3. A sealed package comprising the combination of a containen'a closure cap having a cover portion and a depending skirt, a bead in the skirt of the cap, a gasket in said bead, the bottom of said bead being formed by an inwardly extending fold of material adapted to support the gasket, said fold being forced upwardly to compress the gasket, said fold being spaced.from

and out of contact with said container, the lower portion of said skirt being -below and adjacent said fold and extending outwardly beyond the outer part of the bead of the cap to provide a "lever portion for releasing sealing lpressure of the cap, and a Wire edge at the bottom of the said skirt.

4. As an article of manufacture, a closure cap comprising in combination a cover portion, a depending skirt, a head in said skirt, the bottom of said bead being formed by an'inwardly extending fold of material of a double thickness of material for supporting and compressing a gasket, a gasket in said bead, said gasket extending further inwardly tha'n said fold whereby said fold will be spaced out of contact with the side wall of a container upon which the cap is adapted to be sealed. and an annular outwardly fiared portion extending downwardly from said fold and forming the lower portion of said skirt, said outwardly fiared portion being adapted to act as a lever for moving said fold downwardly with respect to said cover portion to facilitate removal of the cap when sealed on a container.

20 I 5. As an article of manufactiire, a closure cap comprising in combinatioma cover portion, a depending skirt, a bead in said skirt, the bottom of said bead being formed by an inwardly extending fold of material of a double thickness of material for supporting and compressing a gasket, a gasket in said bead, said gasket xtending further inwardly than said fold whereby said fold will be spaced out of contact with the side wall of a container adapted to be engaged by the gasket, an annular outwardly fiared portion extending downwardly from said fold and forming the lower portion of said skirt, said outwardly fiared portion extending outwardly beyond lsaid head to act as a lever for moving said fold downwardly with.

respect to said cover portion to facilitate removal of the cap when sealed on a container, and a Wire edge at the bottom of said outwardly fiared portion.

JOHN C. GIBBS. 

